Women

A new interactive guide from the Council on Foreign Relations examines the threat that child marriage poses both to the prosperity and stability of the countries in which it is prevalent and to U.S. development and foreign policy interests.

CFR Senior Fellow Isobel Coleman leads a conversation with Mary Ellen Iskenderian of Women's World Banking and Steve Hollingworth of Freedom from Hunger about how savings are blazing the next frontier in poverty eradication.

Rachel Vogelstein, CFR's fellow for women and foreign policy, and Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, discuss ending the practice of child marriage at the American Academy of Religion 2013 Annual Meeting, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

This UN resolution was adopted on October 31, 2000; it was the first UN resolution regarding women, peace, and security and "urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts." On October 18, 2013, the resolution was reviewed and it was requested that an annual report be published on member states progress in implementing Resolutions 1325 and 2122.

Rachel B. Vogelstein, CFR's fellow for women and foreign policy, discusses the link between U.S. foreign policy and the rights of women and girls around the world, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

The foreign policy of China's newly-installed president, Xi Jinping, is in its infancy, but one variable that has already generated much discussion is the role that Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan might play in shaping China's image abroad.

In response to systemic sexual assaults on women in Egypt, activists have initiated well-organized campaigns to protect women's right to participate in the political sphere and to move in public spaces without fear for their personal safety. Isobel Coleman warns that politically motivated violence against women has still not crested.

ThePentagon's decision to allow women in combat elates female veterans, who say all they are asking for is not guaranteed spots, but a chance to meet the same standards and have the same opportunities as men, says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon.

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CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

New Council Special Reports

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.

The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »